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DENVER (CBS4) – A shortage of rental housing has been a huge problem for people displaced by last September’s floods, but help is on the way.

The state of Colorado recently received its first chunk of grant money from the Department Of Housing And Urban Development.

Some of it will go toward building apartments in Estes Park, Longmont and Evans. The money will also be used for rental assistance, home repairs and demolishing of properties, including the flooded mobile home parks in Evans.

A flooded mobile home park in Evans in September 2013 (credit: CBS)

“What we don’t want to happen is if someone did own a home and they are still making a mortgage payment we don’t want them to be foreclosed on if then again they have to rent an apartment over and above that mortgage,” said Patrick Coyle, director of the state’s Division of Housing.

Late last year HUD approved $62 million, and that became available on May 1. Another $199 million in grant money is expected this fall.

Homeowners will be able to apply for the money through their local governments.

Additional Resources

Charlene R. Guzman, HUD’s Regional Public Affairs Specialist, shared the following information about her department’s funding:

Our timeline in allocating flood recovery funding is unprecedented for any other disaster scenario in the nation. Since the President’s disaster declaration in September 2013, HUD has been on the ground, working between Congress and the State of Colorado to ensure the swift delivery of federal funding. The first Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) allocation of $62.8 million was made available by May 1, 2014. It is now the State’s responsibility to expend the funds to meet the unmet housing, infrastructure, and economic recovery needs in flood-impacted communities. HUD allocated an additional $199.3 million in CDBG-DR funds on June 3, 2014. The state will be able to access that funding once it completes the requirements for citizen participation and planning for the use of those funds.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the funds had just become available. The funding from HUD first became available on May 1.